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Coronavirus in Georgia on April 8

The cases now span across 155 counties in the state

For April 9 updates click here.

Below is an archive 

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At 11Alive News, our coverage of the coronavirus is rooted in Facts, not Fear. Visit the 11Alive coronavirus page for comprehensive coverage, find out what you need to know about Georgia specifically, learn more about the symptoms, and keep tabs on the cases around the world here. Have a question? Text it to us at 404-885-7600.

State and federal officials with the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are continually monitoring the spread of the virus. They are also working hand-in-hand with the World Health Organization to track the spread around the world and to stop it.

We will continue to track the most important coronavirus elements relating to Georgia on this page. Refresh often for new information.

Key Facts: 

Credit: WXIA

Wednesday, April 8

Atlanta mayor's order authorizes use of $1.5M to match private philanthropic donation to help with homelessness

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms issued an executive order authorizing the allocation of up to $1.5 million to provide additional individual shelter options for people experiencing homelessness. The city said in a news release that the funding will leverage private and philanthropic dollars to combat the spread of COVID-19.

“There is a critical need for the Atlanta community to step up to protect and provide for our most vulnerable populations,” said Bottoms.

 “Our city is blessed with a number of philanthropic partners who have extended helping hands to meet the needs of our community," she said. "Thank you to these partners for going above and beyond to assist the City in bending the curve of this virus, and for remaining among Atlanta’s greatest champions.”

These funds build upon the existing investment of $1 million for people experiencing homelessness. The funds are supporting isolation, testing, and transportation. The city said those funds have been leveraged with other state and federal funding. 

Confirmed cases in Georgia surpass 10K

The Georgia Department of Health announced new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. As of 7 p.m., there are 10,189 confirmed cases of the virus and 369 deaths reported. 

Of the 10,189 confirmed cases, 1,269 are in Fulton, 1,003 are in Dougherty, 735 are in DeKalb,  601 are in Cobb and 589 are in Gwinnett. For a breakdown by county, view the 11Alive interactive map.

They said 2,082 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19.

COUNTY - CASES - DEATHS

Fulton    1269    42
Dougherty    1003    62
Dekalb    735    12
Cobb    601    29
Gwinnett    589    18
Clayton    296    11
Hall    234    0
Henry    217    3
Lee    213    14
Bartow    195    12
Carroll    185    4
Sumter    181    5
Cherokee    157    6
Chatham    124    4
Douglas    124    5
Mitchell    116    11
Forsyth    101    2
Houston    99    7
Floyd    97    3
Early    96    5
Terrell    96    9
Muscogee    94    2
Randolph    86    3
Rockdale    86    2
Fayette    85    4
Colquitt    82    5
Clarke    81    9
Coweta    81    2
Richmond    80    3
Newton    67    3
Paulding    67    1
Worth    65    3
Thomas    58    2
Spalding    56    4
Crisp    54    0
Tift    52    1
Bibb    51    1
Columbia    50    0
Lowndes    49    1
Troup    49    3
Barrow    46    3
Coffee    46    2
Ware    43    3
Pierce    39    1
Upson    37    0
Calhoun    35    2
Oconee    33    1
Glynn    32    0
Baldwin    30    1
Dooly    28    1
Laurens    27    0
Walton    27    2
Gordon    26    3
Bryan    25    2
Dawson    23    1
Greene    23    1
Jackson    23    1
Butts    22    0
Decatur    22    0
Polk    22    0
Turner    22    0
Whitfield    21    3
Burke    19    0
Camden    19    0
Effingham    19    1
Peach    19    2
Meriwether    18    0
Mcduffie    17    1
Washington    17    0
Brooks    16    1
Haralson    15    0
Harris    15    0
Lamar    15    0
Stephens    15    0
Liberty    14    0
Bacon    13    0
Clay    13    1
Johnson    13    0
Bulloch    12    0
Monroe    12    1
Morgan    12    0
Murray    12    0
Seminole    12    0
Irwin    11    0
Macon    11    0
White    11    0
Miller    10    0
Pickens    10    2
Pike    10    0
Russell    10    0
Schley    10    1
Baker    9    2
Dodge    9    0
Fannin    9    0
Lumpkin    9    0
Madison    9    1
Pulaski    9    0
Catoosa    8    0
Grady    8    0
Habersham    8    0
Toombs    8    1
Wilkinson    8    0
Appling    7    0
Jenkins    7    1
Jones    7    0
Marion    7    0
Talbot    7    1
Warren    7    0
Ben Hill    6    0
Lincoln    6    0
Rabun    6    0
Telfair    6    0
Brantley    5    1
Emanuel    5    0
Jasper    5    0
Lanier    5    0
Putnam    5    0
Taylor    5    2
Union    5    0
Wilkes    5    0
Atkinson    4    0
Banks    4    0
Berrien    4    0
Candler    4    0
Chattooga    4    1
Cook    4    0
Gilmer    4    0
Jefferson    4    0
Quitman    4    0
Screven    4    0
Stewart    4    0
Walker    4    0
Wayne    4    0
Charlton    3    0
Clinch    3    0
Crawford    3    0
Elbert    3    0
Franklin    3    0
Hart    3    0
Heard    3    1
Mcintosh    3    0
Tattnall    3    0
Webster    3    0
Chattahoochee    2    0
Dade    2    1
Echols    2    0
Oglethorpe    2    1
Towns    2    0
Twiggs    2    0
Wilcox    2    0
Bleckley    1    0
Edgefield    1    0
Hancock    1    0
Jeff Davis    1    0
Long    1    0
Tallapoosa    1    0
Treutlen    1    0
Wheeler    1    0
Unknown    812    6

More national forests in north Georgia close down 

The Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests said it is temporarily shutting down additional recreation sites on the Blue Ridge and Chattooga River Ranger Districts to protect public health and safety.

“We continually consult leaders in our communities, in order to align with local, state, and federal decisions that protect public health and safety,” said Edward Hunter, Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests’ acting forest supervisor. “We aim to implement the highest standard of public health and safety.”

The move also comes as more commissioners in north Georgia counties raised concerns that more people were flocking to the trails and crowding stores in the area, despite the statewide shelter-in-place order in effect. Some outdoor recreation is accepted during the order.

Effective immediately, the following recreation sites are temporarily shut down:

Union County

Davenport OHV Area
Beasley Knob OHV Area

Lumpkin County

Whissenhunt OHV Area
Dicks Creek Day-Use Area

Towns County

Lake Chatuge Recreation Area and Boat Ramp

Rabun County

Angel Falls Trail

Drive-thru testing to begin in Douglasville

The City of Douglasville announced a drive-thru testing site set to open on Friday. They said Hunter Park has been designated by Cobb & Douglas Public Health as the location. 

Hunter Park and all its parking lots will be closed indefinitely to the public starting Thursday, April 9th. Testing is by appointment only. Patients who arrive without a pre-approved number from Cobb & Douglas Public Health, will be turned away.

For more information, call the State of Georgia COVID-19 hotline at (844) 442-2681 or visit the City of Douglasville website at www.DouglasvilleGA.gov.

Statewide shelter-in-place order extended to April 30

Gov. Brian Kemp extended the statewide stay-at-home order until April 30 during a briefing on Wednesday at the State Capitol. 

He also suspended all short-term vacation rentals in Georgia. State parks and beaches remain open, despite citizens and commissioners urging him to shut them down.

Gas South commits more than $1M to support COVID-19 relief

Gas South announced Wednesday it will donate more than $1 million this year to support families throughout Georgia and Florida impacted by COVID-19.

They said they will deploy $850,000 of these funds in the month of April.

“The difficulties presented by COVID-19 to our community and nation are unprecedented, and we want to support our neighbors with these donations while encouraging others to join,” said Kevin Greiner, Gas South president and CEO.

Bank of America awards Grady $500,000 to expand COVID-19 testing and capacity

Bank of America awarded Grady Health System $500,000 to expand treatment and testing capacity critically needed to support growing patient numbers amid the coronavirus pandemic, the hospital announced on Wednesday. 

The grant will support Grady’s efforts to increase capacity for acute patient care, and to expand in-house testing resources to perform as many as 350 coronavirus tests per day, they said. 

“This generous gift from Bank of America directly impacts how we are able to respond to the COVID-19 health crisis and provides critical resources for patient care,” said John Haupert, president and CEO, Grady Health System. “We are most fortunate to have such a committed community partner in this most important effort.”

Confirmed cases in Georgia climb to 9,881 with 362 deaths

The Georgia Department of Health announced new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. As of Noon, there are 9,881 confirmed cases of the virus and 362 deaths reported. This is up from the 9,156 confirmed cases and 348 deaths that they announced on Tuesday evening.

Of the 9,881 confirmed cases, 1,238 are in Fulton, 986 are in Dougherty, 704 are in DeKalb, 587 are in Cobb and 563 are in Gwinnett. In all, there are cases reported in 155 counties (858 cases are listed as unknown counties). For a breakdown by county, view the 11Alive interactive map.

They said 1,980 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19.

Of the confirmed cases, 1 percent are between the ages of 0-17, while 60 percent are 18-59 years old, 35 percent are over 60 and 4 percent are unknown. 53 percent are female, 44 percent are male and 3 percent are not known.

In total, 35,980 tests were conducted at commercial labs, reporting 9,372 positive cases. At the Department of Public Health Laboratory, 2,807 tests were conducted with 507 positive results.

COUNTY - CASES - DEATHS

Fulton    1238    41
Dougherty    986    61
Dekalb    704    11
Cobb    587    29
Gwinnett    563    15
Clayton    292    11
Hall    227    0
Henry    214    3
Lee    208    15
Bartow    192    12
Carroll    183    4
Sumter    168    5
Cherokee    151    6
Chatham    123    4
Douglas    122    5
Mitchell    107    11
Forsyth    99    2
Early    96    5
Floyd    93    3
Terrell    93    9
Houston    91    7
Rockdale    86    2
Fayette    85    4
Randolph    82    3
Clarke    81    9
Coweta    79    2
Richmond    76    3
Colquitt    70    5
Newton    67    3
Paulding    66    1
Worth    64    3
Muscogee    56    1
Spalding    56    4
Bibb    50    1
Lowndes    49    1
Columbia    48    1
Crisp    48    0
Tift    47    1
Troup    47    3
Coffee    44    2
Barrow    42    3
Thomas    42    2
Ware    42    3
Pierce    35    1
Oconee    33    1
Calhoun    31    1
Glynn    30    0
Decatur    29    0
Upson    29    0
Baldwin    27    1
Dooly    27    1
Bryan    26    2
Gordon    26    3
Laurens    25    0
Walton    25    2
Jackson    23    0
Greene    22    1
Polk    22    0
Dawson    21    1
Whitfield    21    3
Butts    20    0
Turner    20    0
Peach    19    2
Effingham    18    1
Meriwether    18    0
Burke    17    0
Camden    17    0
Haralson    17    0
Washington    17    0
Brooks    16    1
Mcduffie    16    1
Harris    15    0
Lamar    14    0
Liberty    14    0
Stephens    14    0
Clay    13    1
Johnson    13    0
Seminole    13    0
Bacon    12    0
Bulloch    12    0
Miller    12    0
Monroe    12    1
Morgan    12    0
Macon    11    0
Murray    11    0
Pickens    10    2
Pike    10    0
Schley    10    1
White    10    0
Baker    9    2
Dodge    9    0
Fannin    9    0
Irwin    9    0
Lumpkin    9    0
Madison    9    1
Habersham    8    0
Pulaski    8    0
Talbot    8    1
Toombs    8    1
Catoosa    7    0
Jenkins    7    1
Jones    7    0
Appling    6    0
Ben Hill    6    0
Grady    6    0
Lincoln    6    0
Warren    6    0
Brantley    5    1
Emanuel    5    0
Jasper    5    0
Lanier    5    0
Marion    5    0
Putnam    5    0
Rabun    5    0
Taylor    5    2
Wilkes    5    0
Atkinson    4    0
Banks    4    0
Berrien    4    0
Candler    4    0
Chattooga    4    1
Cook    4    0
Gilmer    4    0
Jefferson    4    0
Quitman    4    0
Screven    4    0
Stewart    4    0
Telfair    4    0
Union    4    0
Wayne    4    0
Wilkinson    4    0
Charlton    3    0
Clinch    3    0
Crawford    3    0
Elbert    3    0
Franklin    3    0
Hart    3    0
Heard    3    1
Mcintosh    3    0
Tattnall    3    0
Walker    3    0
Webster    3    0
Chattahoochee    2    0
Dade    2    1
Oglethorpe    2    1
Towns    2    0
Twiggs    2    0
Wilcox    2    0
Bleckley    1    0
Echols    1    0
Hancock    1    0
Jeff Davis    1    0
Long    1    0
Treutlen    1    0
Wheeler    1    0
Unknown    858    6

Public health state of emergency extended to May 13

Gov. Brian Kemp, Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, and House Speaker David Ralston announced plans to extend Georgia’s public health state of emergency through May 13, 2020 to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Under state law, the Governor may renew the public health state of emergency, which was otherwise set to expire on April 13, 2020

Lt. Governor Duncan and Speaker Ralston agree it is necessary for the public health emergency to be renewed and will not be requesting a special legislative session, which was tentatively scheduled for April 15, 2020.

“This measure will allow us to continue to deploy resources to communities in need, lend support to frontline medical providers, and keep preparing as we brace for potential patient surge in our healthcare facilities. We deeply appreciate the hard work of Georgians who are sheltering in place, using social distancing, and helping us flatten the curve. We are in this fight together,” Kemp said.

Fulton County Board of Health announces closings, strict in-office policies

The Fulton County Board of Health announced the closing of five facilities on Wednesday morning to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. A spokesperson said they want to "protect the health and safety of clients and staff." They will also require that all clients seeking service at other locations must wear a mask before coming in and get their temperatures checked. The following facilities are closed to the public:

  • Adamsville Regional Health Center
  • Center for Health and Rehabilitation
  • North Fulton Service Center
  • Neighborhood Union Health Center
  • Oak Hill Child, Adolescent and Family Health Center

An official for the organization said, "anyone exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 will not be allowed into the building." Anyone refusing to wear a mask or have their temperature taken will not be allowed into the facility, according to the press release.

Things to know this morning 

  • Mobile clinic to offer drive-thru testing across 10-county area
  • Rep. Doug Collins says he's acquired hydroxychloroquine for Georgia
  • Dept. of Public Health releases cases and deaths by demographic
  • The University of Georgia creates medical face shields
  • Arthur Blank, Mercedes-Benz Stadium extend relief efforts for game day staff with $1M fund
  • Georgia colleges, universities to continue online classes through summer semesters
  • Mayor places new restrictions on Atlanta BeltLine
  • Gwinnett Schools transportation staff members test positive
  • Kroger to limit the number of customers in-store

MORE CORONAVIRUS HEADLINES: 

CDC looks at changing guidelines to get asymptomatic people back to work

Kroger Atlanta Division hires more than 3,000 people, installs plexiglass barriers

You got this! Tips for how to cope with anxiety during Coronavirus pandemic

Frontline workers in Atlanta to receive hazard pay during coronavirus pandemic

The material you should be using for your DIY face mask

Sadness upon grief, tears without embrace: Ga. funeral directors prepare for possible death-spike

Atlanta's homeless seek shelter at airport; Officials say 'isolation facility' close to opening

Canton barber offers hair cut tutorials online

Going home! | Floyd County woman diagnosed with COVID-19 being released from hospital

Dancing WWII veteran 'can't stop the feeling,' even in quarantine

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